A Night at the Opera

by

Roger Davidson

Possibly the Marx Brothers finest film, this involves the brothers entering the world of the New York opera. As they try and promote an unknown singer (Allan Jones) to the peak of stardom, they cause many mishaps at the Opera. Sig Rumann makes a perfect comic foil to the brothers as the head of an opera comedy. Chico and Harpo provide the physical work, while Groucho (the best of the brothers) provides some hilariously funny dialogue, using plenty of puns, innuendos and outright bluntness.

The movie provides one memorable scene on top of another. The most famous is the stateroom scene, where The Marx Brothers try to fit a large assortment of workmen, stewards and service women into one tiny room. After nearly sixty years, the Marx Brothers will still make you roll on the floor with laughter. The climatic scene at the Opera is one of their best finales ever.